Tuesday, 25 October 2016

SIBERIAN ACCENTOR irruption in Autumn 2016 and first British records

Autumn 2016 - the Year of the SIBERIAN ACCENTOR
irruption

When news of a Siberian Accentor trapped &
ringed on Utsira (Norway) on 6th August 2011 hit the headlines, no birder could have
foreseen what was to follow just five years later in October 2016. With a protracted
period of strong East/NE winds starting late September and continuing well into
October, indications of something incredible happening began in Finland on 4th
October, when another Siberian Accentor was discovered, followed by several more
in Scandinavia over the next few days. It seems that because of a particularly
bumper breeding season in Arctic Russia, presumably due to a startling bloom in
insect matter, this tiny but beautiful Dunnock-like bird has irrupted. So much
so, that by 24th October, a staggering 153 had been discovered in Europe,
including 56 in Sweden, 45 in Finland, 10 in Denmark, 7 in Germany, 6 in
Estonia, 6 in Poland, 5 in Latvia, 5 in Norway, 3 in Lithuania and a single in
The Netherlands. With such a huge arrival, it was inevitable that the UK would
share in, that being achieved when a brightly marked individual was discovered
by Judd Hunt in a small quarry at Scousburgh (Shetland) on 9th October - the
first record for Britain & Ireland. As one would expect, that sparked off an
epic twitch, with no fewer than 177 observers connecting during its two-day
stay. However, for those with less money or time to spend on the hobby, the
prayers were answered on 13th October, when Spurn stalwart Lance Degnan
discovered a first-winter feeding at close range with up to 4 Dunnocks on hard
standing opposite Easington Gas Refinery in East Yorkshire. Being at such an
accessible location for many, this bird was a real top drawer, attracting over
4,000 observers in its week-long stay! In fact, the irruption proved remarkably
kind to the home range, Britain reaping 9 different records between 9th and 24th
October - truly sensational!

About Me

I have been birding since 1969 but became obsessed with 'twitching' in 1974 and haven't looked back since. Have driven over 1.3 million miles in pursuit of rare birds in the UK, where to date I have recorded 588 species in Britain and Ireland. I also have a fascination for the Birds of the Western Palearctic, where I have currently recorded 880 of the 1,064 species ever recorded. I am widely travelled in North America, as well as in Africa and Asia, and have written at least 29 books on my chosen subject, including best-sellers ''Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds' and 'Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990'. Established the UK400 Club in 1981 to cater for the most obsessive of the British birding fraternity and now concentrate on online publishing, via the www.uk400clubonline.co.uk website. Record Birding achievements include recording 386 species in Britain & Ireland in 1996 and 627+ in the Western Palearctic in 2008